This was on Sunday. Ice cream's awesome!
There are so many different types of flavors, types, etc. out there. Even some that are cool with people who are lactose intolerant. It's relatively easy to make, too. I still remember when my high school chemistry class used liquid nitrogen to make some. (Kind of like an end of the semester fun thing.) It was awesome to watch.
My fave flavors are probably: cookie dough, Ben and Jerry's Karamel Sutra, fried (I like both the Japanese and Mexican versions that I've tried), rocky road, mochi (lots of different flavors of this...), chocolate with brownies, and many more. Yesterday was National Lollipop Day. Lollipops have always been a little weird with me.
I either love them or feel just meh with them. Depending on my mood, the flavor, etc. When I am in the mood for it, caramel apple is a good one. It was also International Cake Day. To say 'cake' seems even more vague than ice cream. But, it's good stuff, too. It was really hot this weekend.
I think I saw it get up to around 99 degrees Sunday. Some were saying it might have broke 100.
The day before, wasn't much better. About 93 to 95 degrees. Kind of similar to what was happening a couple of weeks ago. Only I think it cooled off faster back then. Sunday night at around 10pm, it was still in the mid 70s. Even with the fan blaring in my window it was hard to go to sleep at a decent time. Yesterday ended up being about 10 degrees warmer than they predicted, but nothing like the day before. It made it to 80. Pretty big difference. Today was expected to be 68 and rainy. Ended up being 70 and cloudy most of the time. It feels downright cold compared to what it's been the last few days. A lot closer to our norm, though. I wish it would stay around normal. The day before yesterday, when it started to get really warm, we went to a Starbucks at Barnes and Noble. I got their iced chai, and blueberry scone. The day before we did the same thing. That time I got an iced chai, and a red velvet cupcake. The cupcake was dry around the edges, but good otherwise. It was a good place to keep cool in.
Saw Jurassic World on Sunday. I think I liked it. Might have been the best sequel in the series, maybe better than the first. Not sure about that.
Of course, there were some flaws to it, but it was an enjoyable ride of a movie. I thought the mesosaurus was going to do more during the movie. Although, it did have a key role. The ending was surprising. They even tried to explain away the inaccuracies. Felt like more of an homage to the first one. I thought the newly created dinosaur was interesting.Since it was still hot out, we decided to eat out for dinner at a local restaurant called Elmer's. I got their fish and chips. It comes with coleslaw. It was pretty good overall. Slightly greasier than I expected, but good.
Had a slice of their lemon meringue pie for dessert. We stayed there for a while after waiting for it to cool off a bit more. The day before that, I took my clarinet to a music place to give it a tune up. Basically just to have someone check it out. No one's looked at my clarinet like that for years. (Might at least be 6 years...
) The guy I used to bring it to, would tell me every time that my keys were bent. That was basically the only issue I had. The instrument is getting old enough that the guy who checked it in said they might need to replace some of its pads. I've had it since I started playing when I was 10. It's still in roughly good condition, just needs a little maintenance done. Feels like I left my baby behind...
But, I know afterwards it usually feels brand new again. I know the last time I played it, it didn't quite 'feel' right, so this might fix that too.
The guy we used to go to had his own instrument repair shop that was connected to his house. He was kind of crotchety, took a while, and was pretty expensive.
Most of the time he was very nice, just seemed to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Scared me at times. I didn't want to go back to him. Not sure if he's still doing it, either. I think I remember hearing the last time he looked at it, that he was thinking of retiring from repairing instruments. He's pretty old, and makes me wonder how he kept it all up. (Way passed retirement age it seems.) Apparently, I've read that it's best to have someone look at it at least every 2 years. I've been bad about that...
The music store said it'll take 3-5 business days, and that the most it'll be is $100. (The least being $22.) Unless, they call me to tell me otherwise. That seems a lot more reasonable than what the previous person charged. I'd be happier if it was close to the minimum price amount...
It's not like it's broken or anything, so it shouldn't be too much. They apparently think it's a professional clarinet.
I was told when I got it that it was a 'student' one. The only difference is that the pro ones tend to be better made, higher quality, easier to get a fuller sound, etc. But, it doesn't necessarily mean anyone who plays it will sound like a pro or one of the best. People with the cheaper student ones can still get to that 'sound' or be at pro level. It's just supposedly slightly harder to do. It all depends on the player ultimately. The brand I have is a Jupiter. When I started out people used to tell me that it was a horrible bottom-rung type brand. They kept saying that in junior high and high school, as well. When I told them that's what I have, they didn't believe me. Simply because it didn't 'sound' like one. That it sounded too good for it.
I looked up a bit more on the brand and when my instrument came out, a couple of days ago. Turns out all the ones that were assembled in Taiwan of that year were of higher quality and could be considered pro level. The company's based in Taiwan, but the cheaper student instruments tend to be assembled in China. The ones from Taiwan, have parts that come from around the world. Some of the countries were: Germany, UK, USA, Taiwan (of course), etc. My instrument's like a globe trotter.
They had details on which country made what component. Really interesting and cool. I didn't know much about it at the time. I think maybe the company just had an undeserved bad reputation. Although, the only thing that's really weird with it, is apparently the only ligature that fits the mouthpiece is a sax one. (Ligatures hold the reed to the mouthpiece.) But, to me that just makes it unique.
While I was in junior high and high school, people also didn't believe me that I essentially taught myself how to play. I didn't have a tutor. Many people get a tutor at some point, especially at the beginning. I just used the instructional music books everyone starts with, what we were taught in general in band, practiced like crazy, etc. I wasn't totally on my own. I don't think anyone can be.
I loved to practice, so I practiced more than what some of my other fellow band members did. My average was an hour a day. Sometimes my hands/fingers really hurt, but it felt good. In junior high, we had to write down how many minutes we practiced every day and week. They thought people should do at least up to 20 a day. (Many didn't even do that much.) It was laughable to me even back then.
I just love playing, and when I took 2 years away from it, it was really tough for me.
Now, I try to do 30 minutes each time. I want to work my way back to an hour, though. Plus, since I don't have my clarinet at the moment, I feel a huge urge to play. It's like an itch you can't reach.
Kind of sad...But, I'll have it back soon. After going to the music store, we went to Barnes and Noble to cool off. I found a cool 'adult' coloring book. The designs are by a tattoo artist, and some of them are really cool and unique. Even though I won't get a permanent tattoo for various reasons, doesn't mean I can't appreciate their artwork. Parts of the designs are colored in with black, gold, and gray. But, there's a lot of coloring space. It makes the finished product have an interesting effect.
I've already finished the first 2 things. I wanted to use my colored pencils, and possibly markers with something and this gives me that opportunity. Good for color practice for future drawings. I have a lot of both pencils and markers (I tend to only remember a fraction of them), and they're just sitting there. It'll be nice to get back to them. Maybe it'll encourage me to draw more often, too. We stayed at the cafe in there after that.Then, when it was dinnertime, we went to a local Japanese place called Hakata. Dad and I shared the sushi platter. It had 8 different types of nigiri, and tuna rolls. There were quite a few I was able to have. It was pretty good. Got their yakisoba, which was a lot better than last time. (That was a while ago...) Since we ordered 3 'entrees' we got 3 sets of pickled bean sprouts, and miso soup.
The sushi was actually under appetizers, but apparently they treated it like a 3rd entree. I love their sprouts! I could eat them all day, everyday!
There are worse things to be addicted to...I got their fried ice cream, which is my fave. It's vanilla ice cream wrapped in a marble cake, then dipped in tempura batter, and then fried. So good!
Probably not good for me, but having it every so often isn't bad. I only had about half of the yakisoba, but it just meant that I could savor it more for lunch the next day.My appetite has been fluctuating between normal and not much of one.
It feels kind of like a roller coaster that I can't get off of. Sometimes I have a hard time eating what I should at the minimum amount I set for myself, and sometimes I'm fine with it. I'm going to bring this up with my gastroenterologist on the 31st. Along with some other things. The mini leg cramps have kind of turned into just having really stiff legs when I lay down. It's weird, but feels a bit better than those cramps. I still feel like my legs could go into a full cramp at any moment, though. Also, noticing my hair seems to be really coming out lately.
Took a shower today, and a lot more came out than usual. Normally, a bit comes out because it's long curly/wavy hair and it collects and holds in the loose ones over time until I take a shower. I've got quite a bit of hair to spare, but I might bring this up, too. I think it might just be from stress or being nervous about it. That weird side rash I had seems to be fading away. I'm concerned about these red spots that I feel they don't really care about...
Also, I want to ask her about pain killers. I've read that ibuprofen isn't good for people with IBD, and I want to know what's ok as an over the counter one. She might have to prescribe something for me. I'm having more pain lately. I'll get that blood test done next Monday. I'll probably know more before my appointment about which IBD I have. That'll come in handy, too. Ordered more of the balsalazide, since I'll run out of it before the appointment. I don't want to stop something until I'm told to. And, she might try 'weaning' me off of it, anyways. I am taking 9 of them a day.
If she prescribes another med (which is likely, and might be in addition to the one I already take), I don't want to go on one that has the side effect of weight gain. I had that with another med in the past, and I gained a lot of weight very quickly. I only recently got rid of most of what I gained. I don't want that hell again.
Even if it was my last resort. I'd rather have any other side effect but that. Looking at some of the meds that they usually recommend to treat it online, they sound like really harsh ones in general. Many go with immunosuppressants which suppress the immune system, so it can stop attacking itself. The main problem with that is that you can easily get sick this way. Not only that, but once your sick it can hit you harder than other people. (Since your immune system won't be as strong as normal people's.) Supposedly, it's hard for people on this to go to the hospital because they become sensitive to catching things. I'd rather have that mess than the weight gain, if there's one that doesn't have that side effect and I have to take it. Just would have to be extremely careful.
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